Body Image: Resources

Hello, lovelies!

What a beautiful weekend it has been. Friday was an incredible day to witness. I was sitting at my desk at work Friday morning when I heard that the Supreme Court ruled gay marriage was legal across all 50 states via Facebook. I was overwhelmed with happiness and joy and tears immediately began to roll down my face. I knew this was a fight and I knew progress was happening, but to finally see it come to a happy conclusion was enormous. I spent most of the work day watching the love and support on social media. I saw a few negative words and pictures, but mostly they were happy and colorful (the rainbow!) and it was just a good day to be alive.

I spent the weekend in Houston with my high school girlfriends, who, even 8 years after graduating high school (I don’t even want to talk about how graduation was 8 years ago), are still very close. They are like sisters to me and are very dear to my heart. It was so nice to just relax, have dance parties, chat about life, and laugh together for a whole weekend. We don’t get to do that very much anymore since our lives have spread us apart all over the country over the years. One of our plans for the weekend was to grill out and hang by the pool Saturday afternoon. I’m always a little nervous to wear a swim suit in public, even if it’s just with my close friends. When I was in high school and swimming two days a week, I was still nervous about wearing a two piece. It’s just always been one of those things. But I told myself that I would own it and be confident. And I did. And you know what? So did my friends. They are all so beautiful. I am so proud of the way they are owning their bodies. Their presence and comfort in their skin made me feel more relaxed and less body conscious. It was a really nice change of pace for me. I am probably never going to have a 6 pack, or lose my pooch, but I felt good in a two piece and I am proud of that. I love my body. Through my body image posts, I am learning to not only accept the skin that I am in, but to cherish it. It holds my essence. It holds my secrets. It holds my insecurities and my dreams and desires and my love and my energy. Our bodies are amazing. If only we could always see that and feel this way, the world would be a much different place.

So, today, I will leave you with some things that inspired me to come to terms with my body. The first is the beautiful talk for Mind Body Green by the inspiring Kathryn Budig, who is one of my favorite yogis. (I also, in general, pretty much love everything by Mind Body Green.)

I loved what she created on social media – a supportive and loving community of friends who lift each other up instead of bringing one another down. It’s beautiful and so inspirational. In her honor, I am posting my positive affirmation for my body part that has a negative connotation for me. Like most women, it is my belly. For the longest time I have resented my pooch and my extra skin in that area. But, I am now embracing what it is. I hope you will feel motivated and inspired to do the same.

There are several great podcasts by the Stuff Mom Never Told You girls about body image, LGBTQ, and other body positivity issues. Just scrolling through their feed is enough to inspire you to push the norms of society.

Yoga has helped me learn what my body is capable of and to appreciate it for more than just it’s face value. My body is what houses my soul while it is here on Earth. How can anything that holds such precious cargo be anything but good? When you think of it like that, it’s hard to be negative about yourself.

I hope my series on body image has been helpful, inspiring, or eye opening in some sort of way. I hope you’ll share these posts with your friends and family, and I hope that they make you think about your own insecurities and concerns. I am happy to talk about these issues with you so please leave a comment with your thoughts!